"Return to Mu" Merrell Fankhauser
(Lance Records L-4002)
Picked by Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck as the August 2003 Lance Monthly Album Pick of the Month
One thing that is for certain is that this album derives
inspiration from Merrells own personal beliefs and feelings regarding the Lost
Continent of MU. Merr
ell seems to be the modern day reincarnate from MU with
a message for all of us in his music. He returns us to his Polynesian paradise
to enchant and mesmerize, as only he can with so
me
incredibly beautiful and lush sounds via a virtual waterfall of music gathered
from the drops of the rain forest. The message comes translated through guitars, sitar,
percussion, flute, dobro, mandolin, piano, saxophone, virtually every instrument
that is able to create the necessary vibe and mood of this atmospheric rock
cornucopia.
If for some reason you cannot transport to MU by way of this music, then your imagination must have been lost somewhere along the way during your travels. Let Dr. Fankhauser give you the magic elixir to spark your thoughts and dreams once again with his alluring tropical island blend of rock music.
Songs like "Polynesian Dream," with Dean Torrance providing harmony, "Time Travellers," and "Under a Maui Moon" engage you with a blend of guitars, sitar, and dobro that will pull you out into a musical ocean of beauty like a prevailing tide. I especially enjoyed the psychedelic rockin guitar licks in "Goin Down To Atlantis." Those are just a few of my favorites; to be honest the entire album was an absolute delight to experience.
After listening several times to this fantastical trip down the roads of the islands of paradise in my mind's eye, I know why Merrell said that this is the most prolific recording he has released in 25 years. If you listen to these tracks in the spirit in which the artist created it, you will most certainly agree that this recording will be one of the most satisfying trips you will take this year. It is time to climb aboard the "Mothership Fankhauser" and come to understand the brilliance of this man as a musician and producer. His talent rivals that of Brian Wilson and similarly prolific artists. I feel that strongly about his abilities. Buy this CD and you will find out exactly what I mean.
Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Inside the U.S.
Outside the U.S.
(Click the appropriate button to order by credit card; otherwise, send well-hidden cash or check payable to RvStewart in the amount of $15.00 to RvStewartProductions, P.O. Box 613, Sandia Park, NM 87047. Price includes postage in the U.S. All other countries add $2.00)
Tracks Mystical Land Waterfall On Our Way to Hana Pictures of the Past The Unknown Writer Queen Mu Mother Sea Beckoning Maiden Polynesian Dream Time Travellers Prospectors Moon Goin Down to Atlantis The Land of Mu Under a Maui Moon Matthews Dream Lodrus Mu Chant The Mothership Mu Rainforest |
And a Huge Cast of Big-Time Players Merrell Fankhauser vocal, guitar, bass, keyboard, dobro, slide guitar John McEuen mandollin Dom Carmardella piano, keyboards, strings Paul Delph backup vocal, piano, strings, drums Tim Fankhauser backup vocal, acoustic guitar Lorenzo Martinez congas Luis Munoz percussion Jerry Sagouspe drums, backup vocal Bruce Clark flute, sax William McEuen percussion, tamborine John Cipollina slide guitar Randy Tico bass Mary Lee violin Jay Ferguson flute, keyboard, vibes, synthesizer/percussion Marsha Sherman harp Bill Berg drums Steven Meese piano Jimmy Dillon electric guitar Ed Cassidy drums Nicky Hopkins piano, Kurzweil strings Art Dougall drums Fred Ralston vibes Dean Torrance backup vocal Jim McRae bass Darrell Thatcher steel guitar Jonathan McEuen backup vocal, lead guitar Bruce Sahroian bass Ned Christianson Kurzell strings Mike Benner bass Donnie "Divino" Smith sitar Steven Be flute, Indian drum Chris Olson percussion Anna Romero backup vocal Fred Ralston vibes Beb Benay acoustic guitar Bill Cuomo piano Mary Davitch synthesizer Gary Malabar drums The Mu People tribal drums Ernie Anderson Mu God voice |